It’s now been almost a year since I left sunny[1] Taiyuan and moved to sunny[2] Melbourne. What follows is an update on my travels over 2008.
There is too much. Let me sum up. I came back to Brisbane at the beginning of February and left for Melbourne a few weeks later. I temped for a bit, flatted with a mate from Brisbane and got a job with ACCESS ministries (google us). I started attending the unichurch congregation at St Jude’s Anglican Church, Carlton, to which suburb I have very recently moved. I’ve written several plays of various lengths, some poetry, and right now I’m working on a World War 1 rock musical. I’ve made many great friends in Melbourne, but I’ve loved the opportunity to come back to Brisbane and catch up with old friends on a couple of occasions.
Bible Study break up, Parkville, Melbourne
In all of this, thoughts of China have been either at the fore or the back of my mind and the process of thinking through how my year in China fits in with the rest of my life is a process that is still underway.
I imagine that my experience is similar to that of many young Christian men and women. We consider our futures, we debate in our minds the pros and cons of this or that life, unsure of where to go, or whether our plans will fit God’s will, and whether or not this or that decision will lead to a wasted or a fruitful life, sometimes unable to make any plans at all. We ponder contentment and happiness and we question the difference between the two. We look at what we have, we look at what we want, we wonder if we should try to narrow the gap, and if so, how?
A side point: the very fact that you and I, as Christians in the Western world, have the time, the freedom, the choice, to think and worry about our futures, is a privilege not afforded by the majority world.
In all of this, thoughts of China have been either at the fore or the back of my mind and the process of thinking through how my year in China fits in with the rest of my life is a process that is still underway.
I imagine that my experience is similar to that of many young Christian men and women. We consider our futures, we debate in our minds the pros and cons of this or that life, unsure of where to go, or whether our plans will fit God’s will, and whether or not this or that decision will lead to a wasted or a fruitful life, sometimes unable to make any plans at all. We ponder contentment and happiness and we question the difference between the two. We look at what we have, we look at what we want, we wonder if we should try to narrow the gap, and if so, how?
A side point: the very fact that you and I, as Christians in the Western world, have the time, the freedom, the choice, to think and worry about our futures, is a privilege not afforded by the majority world.
What I'm talking about is the question of priorities: what really matters? It occurs to me that loving God, with His love, is central to the kingdom of God. My very good friend Dave T, with whom I had many conversations in China, talked several times of a verse he’d been thinking about: “seek first the kingdom of God… and all these things shall follow”.
If our priority is to love God above all, and then to love others, then I think “all these things” - including peace and contentment - may follow. I think it would be a good thing if my prayer each day as I wake were “This day, LORD God, may You be at the centre of my life, working out in me as love”. If I say that my goal for the day is to love God, then it matters little whether I head into the day with a million brilliant dreams of accomplishments and successes or with the singular, painful task of obtaining enough food to keep from starving.
It follows that if this prayer is put into action, this love of God will lead me to love for others, especially those without choice or hope. It will lead me to love unconditionally, as Christ loved me. It will lead me to prioritize relationships over my own personal ambition. If God’s kingdom is sought first, I will have no need to worry. There’s grace in that… enough grace for the day, every day, and an inexhaustible supply at that.
If our priority is to love God above all, and then to love others, then I think “all these things” - including peace and contentment - may follow. I think it would be a good thing if my prayer each day as I wake were “This day, LORD God, may You be at the centre of my life, working out in me as love”. If I say that my goal for the day is to love God, then it matters little whether I head into the day with a million brilliant dreams of accomplishments and successes or with the singular, painful task of obtaining enough food to keep from starving.
It follows that if this prayer is put into action, this love of God will lead me to love for others, especially those without choice or hope. It will lead me to love unconditionally, as Christ loved me. It will lead me to prioritize relationships over my own personal ambition. If God’s kingdom is sought first, I will have no need to worry. There’s grace in that… enough grace for the day, every day, and an inexhaustible supply at that.
Writing this is one thing. Putting it into practice is another. Even as I sit here typing I think of the many ways in which I have failed to love as Christ loved on this first day of 2009. But “as Christ loved”… there’s grace in that, too.
Peace and zeal,
Phil
Brisbane at dusk
